"More than a place, the Shady Dell was and will forever remain a state of mind." - Shady Del Knight

Friday, March 26, 2010

In 1972, a crack Dell Rat unit was sent to prison by the Unific Court of Love for a crime they didn't commit..... (Death by Disco).

These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the York, PA underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of soul and revivers of rock ‘n roll.

If you have a problem (with hip hop divas and gangsta rap)...

if no one else can help...

and if you can find them...

maybe you can hire...

The D-Team!

I pity the fool who don't like these songs!

"Don't Ever Leave Me" - Connie Francis (November 1964)

By the autumn of 1964, the prolific pop vocalist Connie Francis had sold millions of albums domestically and internationally. Her 45rpm releases were another story. Connie's singles weren't hitting the top of the chart like they did in 1962 and earlier. She had John, Paul, George and Ringo to thank for that. Like many established American artists, Connie was getting lumped in with yesterday's news as young audiences, myself included, became captivated by all things British.

The decline in Connie's chart success had nothing to do with the quality of her work. Connie's fall 1964 recording, the Sedakaesque "Don't Ever Leave Me," fell short of the top 40 but is among her career best! Click here to listen and be sure to click "back" to return to this page.

"Minstrel and Queen" - Impressions (October 1962)

"I'm not worthy," is Curtis Mayfield's lament in this sweet, sad, transitional (doo-wop to soul) recording by the Impressions that deals with the familiar theme of two lovers separated by the class barrier. The song, known in some circles as "Queen Majesty," spent six weeks on Billboard's Bubbling Under chart and finished at #113.

"Minstrel and Queen" was charting in the month of October. As you will see in my upcoming Soul Smackdown series, four of the top five songs on my list of the All Time Greatest Soul Ballads were reaching their peak of popularity during the month of October. Do I detect a pattern?

"Grow Closer Together" - Impressions (February 1962)

Like many other artists of the 60s, Mayfield and company gradually shifted the focus of their music away from traditional love songs and more toward themes of social awareness and activism. Yet, it is the sweet soul output from the group's early years that remains most dear to a Dell rat's heart. Listen now to another Impressions classic from the period....the simple, straightforward, humble, life affirming love song "Grow Closer Together."

"She's a Heartbreaker" - Gene Pitney (May 1968)

Don'tcha love it when a solo artist, group or band breaks out of the mold and succeeds in crossing over? The Platters and The Flamingos, famed for their 1950s doo-wop ballads, reinvented themselves in the 60s and released superb up-tempo northern soul records. Just when I thought I had Connie Francis figured out she surprised me a batch of rock 'n roll and girl group gems. Just when I thought I had the Everly Brothers figured out they hit me with a stone cool version of "Lucille."

Just when I thought I had Pat Boone figured out...

well...let's not go there!

Gene Pitney pulled off one of the biggest transitional surprises of all. In a radical departure from his string of mainstream pop hits earlier in the decade Pitney came roaring back in 1968 with "She's a Heartbreaker," a top 20 stormer that became a staple on England's northern soul circuit.

This is not your daddy's Gene Pitney. The intensity of Gene's soulful vocal treatment keeps the excitement meter pegged from start to finish. "Hearbreaker" is regarded by many as his finest career performance!

"You Wouldn't Listen" - Ides of March (July 1966)

This Chicago area band cranked out two of the best and most refreshingly different songs of the rock era. They were calling themselves the Shon-Dels (hmmm, sounds familiar) until they started thinking outside the box and changed their name to the Ides of March. The group's initial release on Parrot barely missed cracking the top 40 in the summer of 1966. Let's prove the guys wrong and listen to "You Wouldn't Listen."

BONUS TRACK!

In the spring of 1970, the Ides of March scored a huge national hit with the bold and brassy "Vehicle."

The Ides rode "Vehicle" in the fast lane all the way to #2 on Billboard and #1 on Cash Box!

The killer bee on the back of "96 Tears" is one of the greatest garage rock recordings of the 60s. All of the essential elements are present: bold, swaggering male p.o.v.; ad-libbed, hard-to-understand lyrics laced with sexual innuendo; bitchin' organ solo; and spontaneous, unrehearsed, make-it-up-as-you-go jam session sensibilities. There's no Question Mark about it, "Midnight Hour" rocks! Unfortunately, YouTube has seen fit to delete and disallow this song due to copyright issues. If you promise to click back to this page you can listen to a 30 second sound sample on Amazon (track #11) by clicking here.

5. “Shaggy Dog” – Mickey Lee Lane (October 1964)

Mystery shades, black leather jacket, motorcycle boots, wavy blonde hair. No, it's not Marlon, it's Mickey, Mickey Lee Lane. A Brill building songwriter and pianist whose credits included working with Neil Sedaka and Bill Haley, Lane made a go of it as a singer and wound up recording several excellent pop records of his own. In the fall of 1964, Mickey Lee Lane unleashed "Shaggy Dog" and it scampered into the top 40.

After only a few plays on the Mighty 9-10, I was sold on "Shaggy Dog." It was a refreshingly different kind of record with sparkling production, a high energy beat, and crazy novelty lyrics. When Mickey Lee Lane appeared on the Lloyd Thaxton Show and lip-synced his hit single, he didn't just show up...the dude was showin' out...simply oozing cool. Mick's charismatic performance was the tipping point that turned me from appreciative listener into a buyer. Before the closing credits were finished rolling on Thaxton, this reporter was headed over to Mailman's Queensgate to grab a copy of "Shaggy Dog."

4. "Hey Sah-Lo-Ney" - Mickey Lee Lane (September 1965)

Mickey Lee Lane released several 45s on the highly collectible Swan label. As you might recall, the company often printed the words "Don't Drop Out" on the labels of its 45s for the benefit of school age record buyers. "Shaggy Dog" was the only Swan release by Mickey Lee Lane to make the domestic record chart. Like many American artists Lane enjoyed greater popularity in Britain. His 1965 release "Hey Sah-Lo-Ney" became a dance hit on the UK northern soul circuit and was covered by a Liverpool mod band called The Action. In terms of excitement, the infectious, hi-energy "Hey Sah-Lo-Ney" picks up where "Shaggy Dog" left off. Mickey sends this one into orbit!

Spring 1965: At first, I swore that WSBA was playing the latest single by the Beatles, but Guess Who?...it was Chad Allan & the Expressions, a group from Winnipeg with their American hit "Shakin' All Over." To my ears the song was more exciting than anything the Beatles had released to date, prompting me to hustle back over to Mailman's where I rolled the dice and purchased the group's album as well as the single. Guess What? I didn't regret my buying decision. The original lineup of that Canadian group produced a refreshingly different sound and several tracks on that LP became favorites including "Till We Kissed," "Stop Teasing Me," "Hey Ho," and "Goodnight Goodnight." When I wanted quivers down my backbone, however, my Pick to Click was "Shakin' All Over!"

2. “It’s Summer Time, U.S.A.” – Pixies Three (July 1964)

In 1964 our neighbor girls from Hanover, the Pixies Three, dominated the radio airwaves of WSBA-Landwith the feel-good record of the summer.

"Summer Time U.S.A." is the quintessential girl group song, brimming with youthful energy and exuberance.

You can actually hear the smiles coming through in their voices as Kaye, Debby and Bonnie sing their school's out forever anthem.

1. “The Hootch” – Pixies Three (July 1964)

The Pixies sprinkled their magic dust on both sides of this Mercury release. "The Hootch," which was designated by the record company as the A side, has the live feel of Stevie's "Fingertips" and ranks as #1 on my list of the Most Exciting Records in the post-Beatles American/Canadian pop/rock category! Go, Pixies!

"The Hootch" could easily have gone top 40 but the song's title which innocently refers to a new dance from Liverpool somehow got misinterpreted as an endorsement of underage drinking. As a result some radio stations were reluctant to play it.

Hey, mister program director - get a clue! If a benign ditty like "The Hootch" makes you nervous wait'll you get a load of gangsta rap!

As it turned out a substantial number of programmers flipped the 45 and played the killer bee, allowing "It's Summer Time, U.S.A." to become a mid-Atlantic regional hit.

In Part 6 of my series, I'll be counting down the most exciting Motown sounds along with other entries in the 60s Soul/R&B categories. I hope you'll join me!

Friday, March 19, 2010

My quest to identify the 10 Most Exciting Records...Ever! continues now with Part 4. Included in this competition are American and Canadian pop, garage, acid rock, hard rock and psychedelic records released after the Beatles went global at the start of 1964. Let the countdown begin!

11. “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida” – Iron Butterfly (September 1968)

For years this was my favorite album. Remember the video that was produced in 1969 using the full length version of "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida"? It was a 1960s retrospective covering the major news events of the decade including the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK, the long hot summers of tense race relations and rioting, the Vietnam War, manned space flight and the lunar landing. The video was played several times on the Hy Lit Show. These days I rarely take the entire 17 minute Garden of Eden ride but I have grown to love the songs on side 1 of the album and play them often.

10. “Ain’t That Loving You Baby” – Elvis Presley(October 1964)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a theory called the earlier the better which states that the early career recordings made by a solo artist, group or band are usually their best. Jackie Wilson's early work fronting Billy Ward's Dominoes supports this theory. There are exceptions, however. They include Rick Nelson’s great mid-60s two-sider, "The Very Thought Of You" b/w "I Wonder," Bobby Rydell’s fine rendition of "A World Without Love," and Freddy Cannon’s theme from "Where The Action Is."

Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'N Roll, was struggling in the new normal created by the Beatles and their British Invasion counterparts. For Elvis and other domestic recording acts, major hits were a lot harder to come by in 1964 than they had been in the 50s and early 60s. With his top 20 hit "Ain't That Loving You Baby," Elvis proved that he still had fire in his belly. This rambunctious Presley platter is a throwback - similar in sound and feel to his best 50s material.

9. “Treat Her Right” – Roy Head & the Traits(September 1965)

Roy Head was a cross between James Brown and Jerry Lee Lewis. When Head performed his hit "Treat Her Right" on The Lloyd Thaxton Show in the fall of '65, he didn't just phone it in. He worked! He made sparks fly! Head's spontaneous soul shouting was accompanied by outrageously gymnastic dance moves. Head lost his mind! Let's give a listen to Roy Head as he conducts his patented male sensitivity workshop on Action.

8. “Lies” – Knickerbockers (December 1965)

With their top 20 hit "Lies," the Knickerbockers did a remarkable job of imitating the sound of the early Beatles. Essentially one-hit wonders, the Knicks might have been more successful if they had released "Lies" a year or two earlier; but by early 1966 when "Lies" was reaching its high water mark on Billboard, the Beatles were transitioning away from boy-girl love songs and taking their music in an entirely different direction.

7. “Louie Louie” – Kingsmen (November 1963)

Note: Although it was released in late 1963, "Louie Louie" fits much better in this post-Beatles category than it would if lumped in with songs of the 50s and early 60s.

"Louie Louie" would probably make more "Most Exciting" lists than any other song. As you recall it was the record that Belushi and his drunken fraternity brothers sang and danced to in the movie Animal House. With its allegedly dirty words hidden in the production mix under wailing guitars, organ, drums, and crashing cymbals, "Louie Louie" was the song that officially ended the tranquil Eisenhower 50s era and ushered in the tumultuous 60s.

I'll finish my countdown of the most exciting post-Beatles American/Canadian pop and rock songs next time. See ya then!

“Gloria” was a Dell smash and played heavily throughout the spring and into summer.

We all know "Gloria" by heart; but now, let's take a walk on the "Dark Side," shall we?

This killer bee is a bluesy, downbeat number with heavy guitar distortion, a combo of ingredients that also appealed mainly to the Dell’s male contingent. "Dark Side" is the last track on this YouTube four-song S.O.K. block party. Caution: this is not your father’s slow jam!

Two-and-a-half years after their blockbuster "Gloria," the Shadows of Knight (no relation) made a comeback of sorts with two more excellent garage rock sides.

The A side, "Shake," managed to break into the top 50 on Billboard. The killer bee, a psychedelic workout called "From Way Out To Way Under," failed to chart but took quite a few spins on my turntable.

Watch and listen as the garagers get their freakbeat on with "Shake" (October/November '68), a rocker that borrows a riff from "Ain't Nothin' but a House Party," the hit song by the Show Stoppers that charted a few months earlier.

Three years after ‘Gloria,” the SOK scored a TKO with the release of “Gloria ’69,” an updated, psychedelicized version of their top 10 hit.

"Gloria '69" is nothing more than the original version of "Gloria" with heavy, psyched-out fuzz guitar added to the mix. The new guitar riffs remind me of Hendrix and Cream. They are also quite similar to the licks found on J.J. Cale’s "Cocaine," a song that became a Clapton classic. Although "Gloria ’69" was a flop in terms of record sales and didn’t even register on Billboard’s Bubbling Under chart, the song was played often enough on the radio to get me hooked. Click past the flip side "Spaniard at my Door" if you wish and have a listen to "Gloria '69."

SOK-it-to-me! They say there's a sucker born every minute and I'm no exception. SDK's SOK Pick to Click is: "she ain't lyin', she ain't lyin', she ain't lyin'- "Gloria Sixty-nyin"

I liked the psych version back then and I still like it now. Unlike some, I don't have a problem with the band slathering a fresh coat of day-glo paint on an old favorite.

There was a down side. While I was eager to stay current and tuned-in to the new sounds evolving on the late 60s music scene, I was conflicted - reluctant to let go of the music that had meant so much to me - traditional sweet soul and silly love songs.

"Gloria ‘69" reminds us that by the end of the 1960s the mainstream popularity of psychedelia, acid rock, hard rock and heavy metal had driven many established artists to reinvent themselves by toughening their image and putting a harder edge on their music. Some artists were able to make the transition, but many others could not or were not willing to make the adjustment. As a result, many old school acts dropped off the radar screen and the record chart. By 1969 I knew that popular music would never again be quite as wonderful as it once was. At the age of nineteen I was already waxing nostalgic and embracing the oldies revival.

Have a Shady day!

Jimy Sohns said...Hey Shady, you`ve done a nice job with our Shadows stuff and I thank you. Please check out my trio: rocknrollsideshow.com We have some new material. Let me know if you`d like to hear it.

March 18, 2010 2:03 PM

Shady Del Knight said... Jimy, it's a thrill and an honor to have you pay us a visit and submit a comment. I love your site and I'm happy to know that you're still on the cutting edge of the music scene. Thank you very much for the music and memories and for "autographing" your outstanding work by writing in response to my SOK tribute.

March 18, 2010 3:52 PM

Bob Adams said... Hi Shady. Got to your site by way of Jimy Sohns facebook wall. Very well done and a great tribute to an awesome garage band. Jimy is playing all over the Chicago area this year and if anyone has the chance to go see him....go see him. He is a true one of a kind wonder. Keep rockin.....

March 27, 2010 6:59 PM

Shady Del Knight said... Hi, Bob! Thanks for letting us know that Jimy is currently rocking the Windy City. I am also delighted to know that there's a link to Shady Dell Music & Memories on Jimy's wall. SOK it to me! Thank you very much for your comment.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

It's time to enjoy selected tracks from two more volumes of the Cruisin' series. As always I picked my favorite song from each Cruisin' and then threw in a bonus Pick to Click released that same year.

For added ambiance I posted some classic soda pop ads from the period.

Hop in and let's cruise to Pittsburgh and New England!

Porky Chedwick - WAMO, Pittsburgh

"This I Swear" - Skyliners (July 1959)

The Skyliners, a mixed gender white doo-wop group from Pittsburgh led by Jimmy Beaumont, cracked the top 30 with "This I Swear," the follow-up to their bigger hit "Since I Don't Have You."

As much as I love songs like this one by the Skyliners it is actually hard for me to listen to them. Why? Because they remind me of how much things have changed since the 50s...how much innocence has been lost in America.

During the 60s, life affirming songs that celebrated the power of a promise and honored the commitment between one man and one woman somehow went the way of the passenger pigeon. In the year 2525, if man is still alive, maybe he will once again embrace these lofty ideals and silly love songs will be back in style.

In the late 50s and early 60s before the Beatles arrived to clean house, the pop chart was littered with novelty records. It could be argued that a disproportionate number of those wacky songs became major hits.

Along with the series of break-in records released by Buchanan & Goodman, novelty ditties by David Seville & the Chipmunks, and a plethora of other songs mainly with horror or sci-fi themes, America fell in love with flag waving patriotic songs recounting historic events both real and fictional.

Here are four history making history-themed records that immediately come to mind.

"Battle of New Orleans" - Johnny Horton (July 1959)

"Sink the Bismarck" - Johnny Horton (May 1960)

"Mr. Custer" - Larry Verne (October 1960)

"North to Alaska" - Johnny Horton (November 1960)

All four of those historic sagas became top 5 national hits.

"The Battle of New Orleans" and "Mr. Custer," the song that reminds us of those politically incorrect arrow shirt jokes, went all the way to number one!

Arnie Woo Woo Ginsburg - WMEX, Boston

"Nadine" - Chuck Berry (April 1964)

Yes, this is an anachronism. Somehow the guys who put together the 1961 volume of Cruisin' went back to the future and inserted a 1964 song. No problem as far as I'm concerned. "Nadine" by the merry Mr. Berry was my favorite track on the album even if it doesn't belong on a 1961 playlist. Here's Chuck-a-go-go slammin' the 1964 T.A.M.I. Show with his rockin' top 30 hit!

"I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door" - Eddie Hodges(August 1961)

In his 1959 film acting debut Eddie Hodges gave us a classic movie moment when he sang "High Hopes" with Frank Sinatra in A Hole in the Head.

Like several other child actors Eddie Hodges put together a short, moderately successful recording career. A few months before Paul Petersen hit the charts with the similar sounding "She Can't Find Her Keys," Eddie Hodges scored his biggest hit (#12 on Billboard) with "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door."

Eddie Hodges bonus tracks:

Since they are seldom heard I thought you might enjoy two more great ones by Eddie Hodges including his killer rendition of "New Orleans."

"(Girls, Girls, Girls) Made to Love" - Eddie Hodges (July 1962)

"New Orleans" - Eddie Hodges (July 1965)

More great music from the Cruisin' series is on the way in the weeks and months to come, so please stick around!

The Rodentia Intelligentsia

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"You had to be there!"

“Words and photographs could never do those dancers justice because you had to be there - in a club with great music, like minded people and loads of atmosphere.” David Meikle of Glasgow, Scotland wrote those words in an article remembering the Twisted Wheel, the legendary northern soul club in Manchester, England. Yet, Mr. Meikle could just as easily have been describing the scene at my favorite "in" spot of the 1960s, the Shady Dell in York (Pennsylvania, not England).

THE SHADY DELL

YORK, PENNSYLVANIA

The Shady Dell: Part of York County's Colorful History

What began as a home based restaurant and bakery in 1945 evolved over the next two decades into the hottest teen nightspot in York county complete with indoor and outdoor dance floors. It went beyond that. Shady Dell owner John Ettline and his wife Helen put out the welcome mat offering hospitality, comfort, support, and encouragement to generations of young people. During its impressive 45-year life span the Dell became a home away from home for countless area youth from a variety of backgrounds.

At the height of its popularity in the early and mid 60s the Dell, located on the southern outskirts of the White Rose city, was as widely known as North York’s White Oak Park ("the Oaks"), Harrisburg's Raven club or any other youth-oriented venue in central Pennsylvania. The Dell attracted crowds from all over the region. It brought together under one roof kids from middle class families and kids from working class families - city kids, suburban kids, small town kids and farm kids.

The diverse cast of characters that constituted the Shady Dell family was a potentially volatile mix. Each of us had to find a way to fit in and get along (or risk being voted off the island). In the end, in spite of our differences, most of us learned to dance together without stepping on each other’s toes.

Shady Dell regulars were nicknamed Dell rats and we had at least two things in common: a love of the music that played on the Dell’s jukebox and a genuine respect for John and Helen Ettline who graciously made their home our home.

GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS

The Dell was a unique, magical coming of age experience - a proving ground - a secluded hideaway where adolescents could develop social skills, learn to handle responsibility and test the waters of adulthood free from the hassles of ubiquitous adult micromanagement.

SHOCKING TRUE CONFESSION: I WAS A TEENAGE DELL RAT! by Shady Del Knight

I became a Dell rat in 1965 at the age of fifteen. Disparaging rumors about the place had been circulating for years. If you were to believe the gossip the Dell was a snake pit where bad boys and bad girls went to do bad things. Some people, including my mother, referred to the Dell as a “den of iniquity.” Intrigued by the horror stories, I was determined to get there and see for myself what all the fuss was about.

In preparation for my grand entrance, I subjected myself to weeks of rigorous training at a Shady Dell boot camp of my own devise. I grew my hair longer and took up the smoking habit. I practiced in front of a mirror until I was convinced that my stance, walk, and dancing style were all cool.

To complete my extreme makeover, I went shopping for my 'uniform' which consisted of a tapered shirt from the Hub, slacks by H.I.S. and two wardrobe essentials: a pair of blue Jack Purcell sneakers and the all-important Baracuta jacket "Made in England." Wearing my 'Cuta' made me feel so terribly, terribly British, you know. Spot on for us bird watchin' blokes, right gov'na?

'JACKS'

AN ABSOLUTE MUST...FOR DANCIN' ON DELL DUST!

THE CLASSIC NATURAL COLOUR BARACUTA

STRICTLY CONTINENTAL, MATE!

Moment of Truth: Boy Meets Dell

Too young to drive, I made my first Dell visit happen by bumming a ride one night with my college-age cousin and two of his buddies. Clearly, none of the above was thrilled to be babysitting.

As we drove past York Hospital on South George and headed toward Violet Hill, what began as giddy anticipation was turning to apprehension. Fear of the unknown started creeping into my brain. What if the rumors turned out to be true? Would I soon be sharing a needle with a gang of rowdy bikers?

At Violet Hill, we made a dogleg turn to the right and began to climb the narrow, winding, bumpy Starcross Road. By this time my breathing had become labored and I felt queasy. It was as if, on a foolish dare, I had agreed to spend the night with Vincent Price in his House on Haunted Hill. Was it too late to leap from the car and bolt?

"I See the Lights... I See the Party Lights..."

We rounded a bend and I caught my first glimpse of her a short distance up the road. Perched on the hillside was a three-story brick house. Down to the left stood a barn. The festive glow of colored lights rose skyward from an area behind the house. As I would soon learn, the atmospheric illumination originated from strings of lanterns hanging above a patio rigged with remote speakers for outdoor dancing.

As we banked to make our final approach I detected the percussive beat of uptempo music emanating from the barn. We turned left into a gravel parking lot overflowing with vehicles. Here, in all of her rustic splendor, stood the infamous Shady Dell, my destination for the evening and my obsession for years to come!

I Found My Thrill on Violet Hill

My heart was thumping as we climbed the steps that led to the entrance and approached the admission booth. Following my cousin’s lead, I slid a quarter through the window and looked up to see a balding, bespectacled old man grinning back at me. Old? John Ettline would have been 59 at the time. I'm older than that now. Yikes!

“Good evening, gentlemen!” John delivered his cheerful salutation in a booming baritone. Immediately, my anxiety vanished. John’s warm welcome made me feel right at home. It made me feel like I belonged. I didn’t get it at the time but later came to realize that John’s presupposition that we were "gentlemen" was a clever and tactful way of admonishing us to behave accordingly.

Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

From the moment I entered the compound I was hooked. The Shady Dell was a private playground for teenagers - a candy land - a fun factory - a safe haven where kids could congregate and blow off steam without having to worry about parents and teachers giving them the evil eye. Instantly I became intoxicated - not by alcohol - but by a sense of total freedom. The place gave off a vibe that was completely new to me – an exhilarating blend of romance, adventure and danger!

Instead of placing a ton of restrictions on their young patrons, John and Helen granted them the independence they craved. The Ettlines were willing to take a step back and trust our judgment. It was okay for us to party as long as things didn’t get out of hand. Most of us eagerly embraced that arrangement. If and when we screwed up, the Ettlines gave us another chance. John and Helen cut you plenty of slack, but if you disrespected them or trashed their establishment both were capable of unleashing a fiery temper.

Of Rats and Men

Contrary to popular belief, the Dell did not harbor gangs of juvenile delinquents eager to conceal their wicked deeds from law enforcement. Sorry, Mom - there weren’t any guns, switchblades or brass knuckles - no gangs, career criminals or prostitutes - just a bunch of ordinary teenagers who loved to meet, mix and mingle, dance and have fun.

Fights were few and far between. There was tacit agreement that it was our duty to preserve and protect the unique setting that the Ettlines had created for us. It required us to police ourselves to prevent incidents that would generate negative publicity or hassles with the law. Scuffles were settled quickly, often through John’s bold intervention. The first lesson a guy learned at the Dell was as follows. Don’t let the gray hair fool you. Nobody messes with John. He’s the boss!

A Special Welcome to All Incoming Freshmen!

I was punched in the face three times during my first year of matriculation on the campus of the Shady Dell School of Hard Knocks. Apparently a few of the guys were determined to teach me a lesson. Yet, getting socked in the kisser did not dampen my enthusiasm or scare me away from the place. In fact they had the opposite effect. They whet my appetite for more! As a Dell newbie desperate to break free of mom’s apron strings and earn respect and acceptance, I wasn’t about to let a bloody nose deter me. For the first time in my life I felt like a man instead of a boy and I loved it. Like Secret Agent Man I was living a life of danger. I was addicted to the rush!

Determined to create an image that would allow me to blend in, appeal to the ladies and avoid becoming a frequent target of the tribe's dominant males, I did a lot of posing, posturing and pretending. I decided that it would be advantageous for me to look tough even though I wasn't. Whenever I strolled into the dance hall, I made sure that my hair was messed up, my shirt tail was hanging out, a lit cigarette was dangling from my lips and my game face was on.

One afternoon before anybody else arrived, my best friend and I rolled around on the dance floor of the barn so that we could properly break-in our new Baracuta jackets by getting them coated with Dell dust. This drove my mother crazy. She kept asking me how I got my jacket so badly soiled. She was even more perplexed when I forbade her to get it cleaned. How could I explain to her that I didn’t want to risk weakening my status with the other guys by wearing a clean jacket?

In my mom’s day the ideal guy wore a white sport coat and a pink carnation. His hair was neatly cropped, oiled down and slicked back off his forehead. That look would have spelled social suicide at the Dell in the mid 60s. My goal was to look like I had just been in a fight at reform school, and if I got my uniform dirty or bloodied in combat, it was a GOOD thing.

Helen & John Ettline

Shady Dell Owners

Helen and John: Not Your Typical Mom and Pop

Even by mid 60s standards, John Ettline seemed part of a vanishing breed of men. John never called me by my first name. He always chose to address me as “Mr. Knight." John maintained that friendly formality through all the years I knew him. I’m very glad he did. John always made me feel important when he added the title “Mr.” to my name. Making insecure teenagers feel good about themselves was John’s greatest gift. He always treated young people with dignity and respect and that made them want to return it.

Along with his outstanding people skills, John possessed a photographic memory. He could always match a face with a name. He seemed to know a lot about anything or anybody that you happened to be discussing. John Ettline had a million stories to tell - all of them interesting.

Although old enough to be our grandparents, there was no generation gap between the Ettlines and their teenage guests. They seemed to remember better than other grown-ups what it was like to be young. John and Helen stayed in touch and in tune with the youth culture. Never was that more in evidence than one day at the York Fair in September, 1968. I was sitting in the grandstand awaiting the start of the James Brown concert. I turned around to search the crowd for familiar faces and there, a few rows behind me, sat Helen and John. In a year when racial tension was running high in York and elsewhere, it was remarkable to see a white couple in their 60s at a James Brown concert, chanting along with the rest of us, “Say It Loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud!”

John and Helen were cool. Young people felt at ease talking with them. Unlike many adults, John and Helen listened to us. They cared without preaching or judging. The Ettlines treated their teen visitors like extended family. They believed in the potential of every young person, including troubled youth from broken homes. They spoke to us about the value of an education and honest hard work. They sponsored athletic programs and honored America’s armed forces. They shaped young lives by instilling a sense of pride and self esteem. John and Helen went out of their way to make all of their kids feel like somebody - even those whose families were telling them they were nobody.

The Dell Jukebox: ALL KILLER AND NO FILLER!

Upon arriving on the Dell scene I soon realized that the jukebox in the dance hall was loaded with the greatest, most danceable records to be found anywhere. There were quite a few songs that I had never heard before and would never hear anywhere else. The music mix that played nightly at the Dell was consistently better than what I was hearing on the radio. In the mid 60s the Dell's musical menu was an exciting blend of Motown, Chi-town, New York and Philly soul, Memphis, southern R&B, blue-eyed soul, Brit beat, sunshine pop, garage, psych and folk-rock plus a few do-wop favorites held over from the 50s.

Shady Dell regulars, the gang I now refer to as the Rodentia Intelligentsia, prided themselves on having radar for cool. Year in and year out they discovered and popularized songs that radio stations across the country overlooked. Records that lingered near the bottom of the national chart often became cherished classics at the Dell. Forgotten flips were elevated to mega-hit status by Dell rats unfettered by the limitations of radio play lists.

Certain songs resonated with the Dell crowd to such an extent that they stayed on the jukebox for years. The best example of this phenomenon is the record ranked #1 on my survey of the 200 Greatest Hits Of The Shady Dell. It remained one of the most popular jukebox selections a dozen years after its initial release in the 50s. That very special song, the greatest and longest lasting Shady Dell hit of all time, was "Close Your Eyes" by the Five Keys.

THE FIVE KEYS

"Close Your Eyes" Ranked #1

Del-Chords & Magnificent Men

Another mighty evergreen at the Shady Dell was "Everybody’s Gotta Lose Someday," an intense, power-packed r&b/soul ballad by the Del-Chords, a racially mixed group from York. Released in 1964, the record was still being played heavily two years later, jamming the floor with slow dancers several times a night. Dave Bupp and Buddy King, lead vocalists from the Del-Chords, eventually merged with band members of Harrisburg’s Endells to form a blue-eyed soul group called the Magnificent Men. The “Mag Men,” as we called them, were white guys who had a passion for black music and the vocal talent and musicianship to authentically perform it. Their inspiring ballad "Peace of Mind" was the first in an impressive string of Dell hits for our hometown heroes.

Magnificent Men

HEAVY HITTERS AT THE DELL!

The Emperors of Harrisburg

Records by the Emperors, another home-grown act, were also enormously popular with Dell dancers. A black group from the state capital, the Emperors were exponents of the “Harrisburg sound,” a blend of r&b, soul, garage and Latin influences. "Karate," the Emperors’ best known recording, was the first of eight raw, funky, organ-driven numbers to achieve hit status at the Dell in 1966 and 1967.

THE EMPERORS

DELL ROYALTY - THEY RULED!

End of an Era

Once addicted to the Dell, I pretty much lived there until the fall of 1967 when I left York to attend an institution of higher learning. Over the next four years I visited my Dell family whenever possible during holidays, spring breaks, and summer vacations. My stint as a Dell rat officially ended in 1971 when I found a job in another city and moved away from York for good.

My final visit to the Dell came in March of 1984 when my career took me out of state. My last piece of business before leaving was to drop in at the Dell and say a final goodbye. I entered the house to find John sitting on a stool at the lunch counter reading the newspaper. “Well, hello stranger!” John bellowed, rising to his feet and extending his hand. “Long time no see, Mr. Knight!" After shaking hands with John and exchanging a few pleasantries, I inquired about Helen. I was stunned to learn that she had passed away a few weeks earlier. I never got the news! John and I stood alone in Helen’s snack bar, reminiscing about the good old days and lamenting how much things had changed since the Dell’s golden era.

After a brief chat with John I excused myself and walked down the sidewalk to check out the barn. The old dance hall was dimly lit and nearly vacant. The only customers were two boys with shoulder length hair standing by the jukebox with a couple of girls. No music was playing. The place was dead or, more accurately, in the final lonely stages of life. If it had been twenty years earlier, the joint would have been jumpin’. The four young people eyed me suspiciously. Is this guy a narc? I put myself in their combat boots and realized that the sight of a stranger in his mid thirties was probably making this new generation of Dell rats uncomfortable. I promptly exited the barn and returned to the house to bid farewell to John.

That night marked the last time I ever saw John or entered the Shady Dell. I made one final pilgrimage in 1988 when I returned to Pennsylvania to visit my parents. I drove up to the Dell one afternoon with every intention of going inside. I’m sure I would have encountered a smiling John Ettline and that he would have immediately remembered my name. Yet, I never got out of the car. I chose not to enter because I didn’t want to further contaminate my memories by seeing how much older John looked and how much more dilapidated the Dell had become. All I could do was sit there in the parking lot gazing at the barn, the house, the bench and the steps to the admission booth where the whole journey started. My mind flooded with a thousand memories of the people, the place, and the time of my life.

John Ettline closed the Dell in the fall of 1991. He died at the beginning of 1993. John’s family auctioned off the restaurant equipment, signage and other Dell paraphernalia in the spring of that year.

(Mike Argento's 1993 article in the York Daily Record was used as a reference source for portions of this cover story.)

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